Cooking fuel container and burner

ABSTRACT

A cooking fuel device includes a fuel container and a wick supporting member positioned at the top of the container. The wick supporting member substantially closes the fuel container and contains at least one aperture to communicate with the interior of the container. A wick formed from a piled fabric includes a burn portion and a fuel feed portion. The fuel feed portion extends through the aperture into the fuel in the container. A cover having a central aperture is positioned over the top of the container to define the burn area on the wick. A peelable lid is adhesively attached to the cover and the wick which when removed will raise the pile on the wick.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/201,523 filed Feb. 25, 1994, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 07/953,422 filed Sep. 29, 1992 now U.S. Pat. No.5,302,114, which in turn is a continuation in part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 07/785,960 filed Oct. 31, 1991, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a cooking fuel container and burner and theuse of this cooking fuel container and burner to provide heat to cook,and to maintain a variety of foods at a serving temperature. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a cooking fuel container andburner that contains a liquid fuel that is capable of providing heat tochafing dishes, buffet servers and ovens for a period of several hours.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is a continuing need in the field of cooking and food warming fuelcontainers and burners to provide products which will produce aneffective temperature level for an extended period of time. Further,these cooking fuel containers and burners should utilize a fuel that isclassified as non-flammable. Non-flammable fuels are desirable sincethis type of fuel provides for a greater level of safety during usageand transportation. It is preferred that the cooking fuel container andburner produce a temperature in an oven, chafing dish or buffet serverof at least about 160° F., and preferably at least about 180° C.,throughout the majority of its full burn time. The burn time for acooking fuel container and burner should be at least about three hours,and preferably at least about four hours. A cooking fuel container andburner which will produce a cooking temperature of at least about 180°F. or greater and have a burn time of at least four hours will providesufficient heat to chafing dishes and buffet servers for a sufficientperiod of time so that the cooking fuel containers do not have to bechanged during a serving session. This is important since the cookingfuel containers when the fuel supply is just depleted are still fairlyhot. They must be handled carefully. If the same cooking fuel containerand burner can be used throughout an event, the need to change thecooking fuel containers is negated with the problem of having to handlea hot cooking fuel container obviated. A container of this type is morehighly useful to the restauranteur.

The present cooking fuel container and burner is of a simplified design,yet produces a cooking temperature in a chafing dish or buffet server ofgreater than 180° F. with a total burn time of at least about fourhours. This cooking fuel container and burner is very efficient in theburning of the container fuel. Further, the cooking fuel container andburner can be shipped and stored without the wick becoming so saturatedwith the fuel that the container and burner is difficult to ignite. Thepresent wick is unique in that besides providing for the effectivedelivery of the cooking fuel to the burning surface it also provides aneasily lighted burning surface. In addition to overcoming the problemsof providing a sufficiently high burn temperature for a sufficientlylong period of time, this cooking fuel container and burner alsoovercomes the problem of the ignition of the essentially flat wicksurface. This easy ignition is accomplished without the use of anyignitor materials or ignition pads. The net result is a cooking fuelcontainer and burner which is simple in design, easy to construct, quickand easy to ignite and one which has a sufficiently long burn time andburn temperature to effectively cook and/or heat foods during a normalserving session.

Various cooking fuel containers and burners have been disclosed in theprior art. One such cooking fuel container and burner is described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,604,053. This food warming cartridge, as it isdesignated, consists of a cylindrical container with a top cover seamedonto the container and closing the top opening of the container. In acentral portion of this container and top cover there is a square orrectangular region to expose a flat wick, the two ends of which extenddownward into the fuel which is contained in the food warming cartridge.The mode of operation of this food warming cartridge is that the fuel isfed up to the burning surface where it is burned to provide the desiredheat. One problem with this design is that it does not provide forinsulating the fuel containing region of the cartridge from the heatthat is produced from the burning of the fuel. In this cartridge, someof the heat from the burning fuel will be transmitted to the cover withthe heat in turn transmitted to the region that contains the fuel. Theresult is a heating of this region of the cartridge with a pressureproduced within the fuel containing region which causes a pumping of thefuel up the wick which results in an uneven burn temperature and aninconsistent burn time from cartridge to cartridge.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,986 discloses a disposable liquid fuel burner. Thisliquid fuel burner is illustrative of a typical center wick burner. Inthis design, a wick extends downwardly through the top cover of acylindrical fuel container. This wick extends upwardly through the topcover to a distance above the top cover. In this type of a liquid fuelburner, the burn surface is elevated a distance above the top coverabove the burner. This results in less heat being transferred from thewick to the top of the container and thus into the region of thecontainer which contains the liquid fuel. Pumping of the fuel up thewick is thus not a problem. This is an effective burner for liquidfuels, however, since it is comprised of a single central wick, it tendsto produce a small diameter flame and thus a localized heating. It ispreferred that the fuel burn surface be of as large an area as possiblein order to provide for a more even heating of buffet trays and chafingdishes. Also, typically fuel burners of this type do not have asubstantially constant burn temperature throughout the full burn time.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,858 discloses a liquid fuel burner which doesprovide for an enlarged burn surface area. However, this liquid fuelburner is quite complex in its structure. This liquid fuel burnerconsists of a cylindrical container which has a top closure. Within thistop closure is an opening to provide for an enlarged burning surface.Within the container portion there is a wick which passes upwardly fromthe fuel region up into a wick region. This wick is of a single strandwhich passes upwardly through the center of a wick supporting table andoverlays this wick supporting table. Overlaying this wick is anon-combustible fiber bat. Overlaying this non-combustible fiber bat isa bat of plastic foam. This bat of plastic foam serves as an ignitor forthe fiber bat. In operation, the wick conveys the liquid fuel up to thefiber bat. The fiber bat becomes saturated with the liquid fuel as doesthe polymeric foam bat that overlays the fiber bat. In usage, theplastic foam bat is ignited. This plastic foam bat burns away and inmost instances will effectively light the fiber bat. The fiber bat thenprovides the burning surface for the liquid fuel. This is a fairlycomplex structure for a liquid fuel burner.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,653 discloses a further type of a cooking fuel canand burner. This is of a center wick structure and is directed to theusefulness of a central recessed area and the use of peripheral airvents. A drawback of this type of a cooking fuel product is the lack ofa constant heat profile from just after ignition until just before thedepletion of the fuel. This type of cooking fuel container will producea lower heat level upon ignition followed by an increasing level of heatproduction during the burning of the fuel and tapering to a lower burntemperature at the end of the burning period. In addition, this type ofa center wick structure does not provide for the advantages of a burnsurface which has an enlarged burn surface region.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,139 discloses a liquid fuel container which has awick which extends upwardly upon the removal of a lid. This structureprovides for an easier igniting of the wick and will result in less heattransfer the cooking fuel container. However, this liquid fuel containersuffers from the same problems as other center wick burners. That is, itprovides for a localized heating of the buffet server or chafing dish.Further, this type of a cooking fuel containers does not provide for theessentially constant flame temperature throughout the burning of thecontained fuel.

The present cooking fuel container and burner overcomes the variousproblems and deficiencies of the prior art devices. It is lesscomplicated in design and structure. It provides a wick surface that iseasily ignited. There is also provided a temperature in a chafing dishor buffet server of about 180° F. The burn time will be a period of timeof greater than about three hours, and preferably greater than aboutfour hours. These are all significant and important advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present cooking fuel container and burner is one which is comprisedof only five primary parts. Upon being assembled, they produce a cookingfuel container and burner which provides a container which can beshipped without any leakage of liquid fuel, can be easily ignitedwithout the need for any special ignitors, and will produce asubstantially constant burn temperature for a period of time sufficientto serve a meal. This cooking fuel container and burner is comprised ofa fuel container which has an open top. This open top container issubstantially closed by a wick support means coupled to the upper edgeof the container. This wick supporting means has at least one andpreferably two apertures adjacent its periphery which communicate withthe interior of the fuel container. A fiber wick is supported on thiswick supporting means and substantially fills this wick supportingmeans. In one embodiment, the wick includes two leg portions whichextend downwardly through the apertures in the wick supporting means andinto the liquid fuel that is contained within the lower portion of thecontainer. A cover is positioned over the wick which has a centralopening sufficient to define an enlarged burning region when the wick isignited. This opening in the cover is sealed by means of a lid, which ispreferably adhesively bonded to the cover and the burn region of thewick.

The wick is substantially the dimensions of the wick supporting meanswhich in turn substantially closes the top opening of the container. Inaddition, the wick is of a terry cloth, pile or tufted woven fiberstructure to provide a burning surface having an increased surface areato provide a better fuel air mixing. The increased burning surface iscreated by the pile, terry loops or tufts of the fabric which projectupwardly from the weft of the fabric. Preferably, the wick is a singleply thickness.

An additional feature, and one which contributes to the burn time andthe temperature profile produced in a chafing dish or buffet server isthe cross-sectional area of the wick leg segments for feeding fuel tothe body of the wick which extend downwardly through the apertures inthe wick supporting means and into the fuel. The cross-sectional area ofthe wick leg segments and the cross-sectional shape and dimension of theapertures is such that the cross-sectional area of the wick leg segmentpreferably substantially fills the cross-sectional area of the aperturesin the wick supporting means. The size of the apertures also controlsthe rate of fuel flow to the wick and thus the burn time and heatoutput.

A further feature, and one which also contributes to the burn time andto the temperature profile produced, is the distance of the wicksupporting means to the cover in the area of the cover opening. Thisdistance has an effect on the flow of fuel to the burn surface of thecooking fuel container and burner.

The net result of the relationship of the cross-sectional area of thewick segments, the size and shape of the apertures in the wicksupporting means and the distance of the wick supporting means to thecover provide for a controlled flow of fuel upwardly from the containerand to the burn surface. In addition, the wick material has a looselytufted, terry-loop structure which provides for an enhanced fuel airmixing. The raised terry pile and tufts provide for an ease of ignitionand for a more controlled and uniform burning during the use of thecooking fuel container and burner.

These and other advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 sets forth an exploded view in perspective of the cooking fuelcontainer and burner of the present invention.

FIG. 2 sets forth a cross-sectional elevational view or the assembledcooking fuel container and burner of the present invention and as shownin FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an alternative embodiment for the wick for thecooking fuel container and burner.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a rectangular aperture in thewick supporting member.

FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of a semi-circular aperture in thewick supporting member.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the two piece wick assembly andwick supporting member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As has been discussed, the present invention is directed to a cookingfuel container and burner which has improved burning characteristics aswell as ease of ignition. This cooking fuel container and burner is of asimplified construction. This cooking fuel container and burner willproduce a heating profile with a rapid heating of a chafing dish orbuffet server to above about 180° F. from about an ambient temperaturewith essentially a constant production of heat at this temperature untilthe exhaustion of the fuel in the container. The burn time of thiscooking fuel container and burner will be at least about three hours,and preferably at least about four hours.

The cooking fuel container and burner is more particularly described inFIG. 1. The container 10 is a cylindrical container having a side wall11, an upper rim 12 and an open top 13. Into this container is fitted awick supporting member 20. The wick supporting member 20 has a tray-likeshape comprising a base portion 23 for supporting a wick 25, anupstanding side wall 22 and an upper rim 21. The side wall 22 isdimensioned to fit snugly against the inside of wall 11 of the fuelcontainer 10. The base portion 23 includes one or more annular shapedapertures 24 through which wick feed segments can pass and communicatewith the fuel which will be contained within the container 10. A wick 25includes the feed segments 27 which are passed downwardly through theapertures 24 in the base portion 23 so that the main burn portion 26 ofwick 25 is supported by the base portion 23 of the wick supportingmember 20.

A cover 30 overlies the wick 25 and consists of a flat portion 34 whichhas an aperture 31 and which covers a greater part of the surface areaof the wick 25. The aperture 31 defines the burn portion 26 of the wick25 when the cover is assembled onto the support 20 and the container 10.Extending upwardly from the flat portion 34 is a cover side wall 32which terminates at an outwardly extending shoulder 33. The side wall 32of the cover 30 is generally dimensioned to fit snugly with the sidewall 21 of the wick support member 20 as shown in FIG. 2.

The aperture 31 in the cover 30 is sealed by means of a lid 35adhesively attached to the cover and the exposed wick. The lidpreferably will have a pull tab 36 to assist in removing the lid fromthe cover 30. In preferred embodiments, the lid 35 is a flexible foillid adhesively attached to the base portion 34 of the cover and to theburn portion 26 of the wick 25 within the aperture 31.

In assembling the different parts of the cooking container as shown inFIG. 1, the wick supporting member 20 is press fitted into the upperportion of the container 10 such that the upper edge 21 of the member 20is substantially adjacent the rim 12 of the container 10. This wicksupporting member 20 will remain adjacent to the opening 13. Prior to orafter being press fitted into the container 10, the wick 26 will beassembled onto the wick supporting member 20. This is accomplished bythreading the wick feed segments 27 downwardly through the apertures 24.After the wick supporting member 20 is in place, the cover 30 is thencrimp sealed onto the container 10 by crimping the shoulder 33 of thecover 30 over the rim 12 of container 10. A sealant is preferablyprovided between the cover and rim 12 of the container 10. After thecover 30 has been placed and sealed onto the container 10, the lid 35 isadhesively sealed over the aperture 31. In alternative embodiments, thewick supporting member 20 is first attached to the cover 30 and then theassembly is placed on the fuel container 10.

The dimensions of various parts of this cooking fuel container andburner are important with regard to the igniting and burningcharacteristics of this container and burner. It is important that thearea of the apertures 24 in the wick supporting member be within aparticular range. These annular apertures should be of a size where thewick that extends through the aperture fills the aperture. In this way,the wick will serve also to seal the fuel storage part of the containerfrom the burn surface of the wick. In a circular embodiment, theseapertures are of a diameter having an area of from about 8 to 40 squaremillimeters, and preferably about 20 mm². Further there is arelationship between the cross-sectional area of the apertures 24 andthe cross-sectional dimension of the wick segments 27 which pass throughapertures 24. It also has been found that the wick segments whichsubstantially fill the cross-sectional area of the apertures 24 provideeffective fuel flow to the wick without unduly restricting fuel flow. Inlength, the wick segments will contact and preferably rest on the bottomsurface of container 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, two apertures 24 are providedalong opposite edges of the base portion 23. The apertures 24 arepositioned adjacent the side walls 22 so that the apertures are notpositioned directly below the opening 31 in the cover 30. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the apertures are annular shaped anddimensioned to accommodate the feed segments 27 of the wick 26. The sizeof the apertures 27 are generally about 50-125% of the cross-sectionaldimension of the feed segments 27 when dry. When the wick is placed inthe fuel, the feed segments 27 swell slightly to completely fill theaperture. In alternative preferred embodiments, the aperture isdimensioned about 75-100% of the dry cross-sectional dimension and mostpreferably about 90-100% of the dry cross-sectional dimension of thefeed segments 27. The actual size of the apertures will depend in parton the wick material, the type of fuel and the desired burning rate andflame height. The amount of fuel being fed to the burning surface 25 ofthe wick can be varied by adjusting the size and shape of the aperturesand the size of the feed segments 27. Reducing the size of the aperturesin relation to the size of the feed segments of the wick restricts theflow of fuel to the burn surface of the wick thereby increasing burntime of the fuel container. It is generally preferred to have the sizeand shape of the feed segment of the wick complement the dimension ofthe aperture to substantially fill the aperture. In this manner, thefuel is able to easily wick up to the burn area of the wick withoutrestriction. The wick segments further fill the apertures sufficientlyto prevent leakage of the fuel through the aperture.

In a further embodiment, the aperture in the wick support member may bea substantially rectangular shape 52 having slightly rounded edges asillustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6. The length of the rectangular aperturecan range from about 3.0-10 mm and preferably about 5.0-7.0 mm and mostpreferably about 6.0 mm. The width of the aperture can range from about2.0-5.0 mm and preferably about 2.0-4.0 mm and most preferably about 3.0mm.

In certain embodiments it is desirable to have the apertures in the wicksupporting member with a substantially straight edge facing toward thecenter of the wick supporting member. The feed segments of the wickextend from the wick and must bend sharply down through the apertureinto the fuel container. Bending the feed segment of the wick over thestraight edge of the aperture reduces crimping of the wick and preventsrestriction of fuel flow.

In further embodiments, the aperture is a half-moon, semi-circular shape54 as shown in FIG. 5. The straight side of the aperture is preferablyfacing the outer edge of the wick supporting member. The semi-circularaperture generally has a radius of about 2.0-6.0 mm and preferably about4.0 mm. Generally, the area of the semi-circle will be about 4 to 20square mm and preferably about 10 square mm.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wick includes twofeed segments extending from opposite edges of the wick. It has beenfound that two feed segments provide an adequate feed rate of fuel tothe burn portion of the wick. In alternative embodiments where a higherfeed rate is desired, additional feed segments may be used incombination with additional apertures in the wick support member. Inaddition, the height of the rim 21 above the base 23 of the wicksupporting member is also a significant feature. That is, the depth ofthe sidewall 22 should be of a controlled dimension since the edge 35 ofaperture 31 of the flat portion 34 of the lid should be a set distancefrom the wick supporting surface 23. This is also termed the squeezedimension of the wick. The height of edge 35 above surface 23 should befrom about 4.5 mm to about 1.25 cm and preferably about 8-9 mm.

Another feature that is important with regard to the operationalcharacteristics of this cooking fuel container and burner is the surfaceof the wick. The wick may be a woven or non-woven material having a pileof suitable height and density to provide an elevated burning surfaceand to effectively wick the fuel to the burning surface. A closed loop,terry-type pile fabric material is generally preferred since the pileprovides a large surface area exposed to the air to support combustionof the fuel. The pile further provides an efficient means to wick thefuel from the body of the wick to the combustion surface which is thesurface formed by the ends of the pile. A pile burn surface on the wickprovides a large fuel surface area for ease of ignition without the needfor ignition compositions. It also provides a surface for good air/fuelmixing and thus a more efficient combustion of the fuel. The fuel wicksup the pile or loops with the result being an enhanced burning due tobetter air/fuel mixing.

The pile of the wick generally extends away from the weft and warp yarnsof the fabric which results in the burning front being slightly elevatedfrom the wick and the ends of the pile which contributes to the airmixing efficiently with the fuel. The fuel wicks up each pile toessentially define a plurality of burn fronts or burn areas. The spacingof each pile allows a greater fuel-air mixture than that which isobtainable from a standard non-pile wick material. It has been foundthat with fuels having a high flash point such as ethylene glycol that apile or tufted wick produces a better fuel-air mixture resulting in ahigher burn temperature compared to conventional non-pile wickmaterials. The pile is believed to result in a leaner fuel/air mixture.

In preferred embodiments, the wick is a terry-type cloth fabriccomprising a plurality of ground warp yarns, ground fill yarns, and pilewarp yarns to define terry pile loops as known in the art. Generally,the terry loops extend from both faces of the fabric to maximize thewicking capacity of the fabric. A suitable terry-type fabric has aweight of about 30 to 90 meters per kilogram. The fabric generally hasabout 10:1 filling yarn, about a 10:1 ground yarn, about 3.55:1 pileyarn, a terry ratio of about 7, 28 ends per centimeter and about 17picks per centimeter.

The wick is preferably a terry-type cloth although in alternativeembodiments the fabric is a closed loop pile or a cut pile fabric. Theterry loops, closed loops or cut pile have a length sufficient to form asurface area and wicking capability to support combustion of the fuel.The length of the terry loops, closed loops or pile is sufficient toproduce efficient fuel/air mixing to elevate the burn front a slightdistance above the wick and the pile. The length of the pile or loops isgenerally at least about 1 mm up to about 10 mm, preferably about 2-7 mmand most preferably about 3-5 mm. The wick material will preferably havea thickness of about 4-15 mm and preferably about 5-10 mm. The densityof the pile or loops will also effect the thickness of the wickmaterial. It will be recognized that the pile may tend to lay flat onthe wick material and thus the length of the pile may not accuratelyreflect the thickness of the wick material. Generally, it is preferredto have a wick material which extends away from the material to promoteair/fuel mixing.

The feed segments 27 of the wick may be integrally formed with the wick25 or may be separate members attached to the wick such as by stitching.The feed segments are preferably formed of the same wick material as thewick. In alternative embodiments, the feed segments may be aconventional woven wick material. The dimension of the feed segments arepreferably substantially the dimensions of the apertures in wick supportmember and typically have a width ranging from about 4-12 mm.

In preferred embodiments, the wick material is 100% cotton terry-typecloth. Synthetic blends may also be used provided the syntheticmaterials do not dissolve in the fuel or burn out before the end of theuseful life of the cooking container.

The lid 35 preferably has an adhesive over its entire inner surface toadhesively secure the lid to the cover 30 and wick burn area 26. In thisway when the lid 35 is placed onto the cover 30, the adhesive of the lidin the area 31 of the cover will contact the pile or tufts in the burnarea 26 of the wick 25. When the lid 35 is removed from the cover 30,the adhesive will cause the pile of the wick to be pulled upwardly awayfrom the body of the wick and thus position the pile for a maximum airfuel mixing region during ignition. Raising the pile will increase thesurface area of the wick to provide a wick surface that is particularlyeasy to ignite. During shipping and packaging, the pile tends to compactand lay flat against the body of the wick. The adhesive on the lidenables the pile to be raised from the body of the wick while the wickis saturated with fuel. Raising the pile of the wick prior to lightingis particularly advantageous when fuels are used which have a high flashpoint such as ethylene glycol which can sometimes be difficult to light.

FIG. 2 shows the cooking fuel container and burner in an elevationalview in an assembled state. In this view, the wick segments 27 are shownextending through the apertures 24 down into the fuel 40. The wicksupporting member 20 is shown press fitted into container 10. Cover 30is shown substantially covering the wick 25 with the burn surface of thewick only exposed through the aperture 31. The cover 30 is shown here ascrimp sealed down onto the top edge surface of container 10.

In an alternate configuration for the wick, segments along the sides ofthe wick can be removed to form a truncated circular section. In thisembodiment it is not necessary that the wick 25 fully cover the base 23of the wick supporting member provided the wick is dimensioned to fillthe aperture 31 to define an effective burn area 26 on the wick.

FIGS. 3A and 3B and FIG. 6 show a further alternative embodiment of thewick. In this configuration the wick is in the form of an assemblyincluding separate wick feed segments 41 and a wick body 42. The wickfeed segment 41 is formed from a single piece of wick material. The wickbody 42 is formed from a separate piece of wick material and overlaysand substantially covers the wick support surface 23 of the member 20.The wick feed segment 41 preferably is one continuous strip extendingthrough both apertures in the wick support member. As illustrated inFIG. 6, the ends of the wick feed segments are fed through therectangular apertures 50 in the support member 20 which conformsubstantially to the cross-section of the wick feed segment 41. Acircular piece of wick material 42 is then placed over the wick feedsegment 41. Fuel from the container is thus fed up the feed segments tothe burn portion of the circular wick 42. In alternative embodiments,this circular portion can have truncated sides.

The circular wick material 42 is preferably a terry-type pile or tuftedfabric as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The wick feed segment 41is preferably also a terry-type file or tufted material. In furtherembodiments, the feed segments 41 is formed from a woven or braided wickmaterial that does not have any substantial pile. The composition of thefeed segments is not critical provided it is able to wick an effectiveamount of the fuel to the wick body 42. The wick body 42 will becontiguous with the feed segments to absorb the fuel such thatcombustion occurs on or above the burn area of the wick.

Although the wick 25 need not fully cover the base surface of wicksupport member 20, it is a preferred feature that it substantially coverthe surface 23, since the wick 25 or 42 will provide an insulatingeffect between the flame that extends upwardly through aperture 31 fromthe fuel that is in container 10. Heat that would be produced by theflame would in part be transmitted to the surface 34 of cover 30. Then,in order for this heat to be transmitted to the fuel in the container,the heat must travel through the wick 25. The heat of vaporization ofthe fuel in wick 25 will serve to aid in insulating the fuel withincontainer 10 from any heat that could be transmitted from the cookingflame.

The net result of this cooking fuel container and burner is a unit whichproduces a constant temperature flame throughout a burn time of greaterthan about four hours for a standard size container. A standard sizecontainer is one which will contain from about 250 grams to 325 gramsand preferably about 285 grams of cooking fuel. The cooking fuel ispreferably an organic liquid which is classified as non-flammable forpurposes of safety classification and handling. The cooking container ofthe invention is particularly suitable for non-flammable fuels such asthe glycols, and in particular, ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.These flues have a high flash point, high vaporization temperature andare stable at high temperatures.

Various modifications can be made to the present cooking fuel containerand burner to produce essentially the same results. Such cooking fuelcontainers and burners would function in essentially the same manner andwould be equivalent in structure. All such cooking fuel containers andburners would be considered to be within the presently claimedinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking fuel wick for use in a cooling fuelcontainer and burner comprising a pile fabric having a pile fabricburning surface portion and a fuel feed portion to deliver fuel to theburning surface portion, said pile fabric having a cut or loop pile thatwicks fuel to the upper ends of said pile, said pile extending upwardlya distance of about 1 mm to 10 mm, said fuel feed portion comprising atleast one feed segment adapted to extend into said fuel containerwhereby during a burning fuel is delivered to said pile fabric toproduce heat during a period of fuel ignition.
 2. A cooking fuel wick asin claim 1 wherein said burning surface portion and said fuel feedportion are separate portions with the burning surface portion overlyingthe fuel feed portion.
 3. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 1 wherein saidburning surface portion and the fuel feed portion are an integral partof the same structure with the feed portion depending from a peripheraledge of said burning surface portion.
 4. A cooking fuel wick as in claim2 wherein there are at least two fuel feed portions.
 5. A cooking fuelwick as in claim 3 wherein there are at least two fuel feed portions. 6.A cooking fuel wick as in claim 2 wherein said burning surface portionhas a generally circular shape.
 7. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 3wherein said burning surface portion has a generally circular shape. 8.A cooking fuel wick as in claim 2 wherein said burning surface portionis planar and is maintained planar during usage.
 9. A cooking fuel wickas in claim 3 wherein said burning surface portion is planar and ismaintained planar during usage.
 10. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 1wherein said pile fabric is comprised of terry loops.
 11. A cooking fuelwick as in claim 1 wherein said pile fabric is comprised of closedloops.
 12. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 1 wherein said pile fabric iscomprised of a terry pile.
 13. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 1 whereinsaid pile extends upwardly about 2 mm to 7 mm.
 14. A cooking fuel wickas in claim 13 wherein said pile material has a thickness of about 4 to15 mm.
 15. A cooking fuel container as in claim 14 wherein said pilefabric is a terry fabric.
 16. A cooking fuel container as in claim 1wherein said terry fabric is comprised of warp yarns, ground fill yarnsand pile yarns.
 17. A cooking fuel wick as in claim 4 wherein the feedsegments have cross-sectional area of about 6 sq. mm to about 50 sq. mm.